Posts by TallTexan

29

EVERYBODY START BLOGGING !

by DannyHaszard in

blogs r' us

modblog - blogging redefined

weblog host also offers users a bulletin board, forum, and intrasite messaging.. www.modblog.com/

Some questions about Michael Jackson

by Lady Lee in

jw
friends

i don't know what was up with me this morning.

i was woken up with a tractor outside my window so i haven't slept well.

but while waiting for this tractor to disappear i was doing some thinking.. some people have heard of body dysmorphic disorder.

TallTexan

Then I'd feel obligated to have sympathy for him, and I couldn't stomach that !!

On some level, how can you not feel sorry for the guy. He is obviously one messed up dude.

I saw the thing on VH-1 about him the other night. It talked about how his dad would sleep with the band's groupies, how the older bros would sleep with groupies in front of the younger boys, including Mikey, how his dad would tell them that the Bible says to "Obey your parents" and then order them not to tell his mother. So Mike was torn between being honest w/ his mother and disobeying his father. Between meeting his father's demands for them to succeed, and his mother's and the WTS demands to be 'no part of the world'.

It's kinda funny, but back a few years ago his being a Witness was simply mentioned in passing. Now that a lot has come out about the pedophilia, etc, there is more attention being paid to his background. I'll bet that if he had never been a JW, his craziness would be at a much more 'normal' level.....

13

Thinking of leaving? Do you have a good Reputation?

by M*A*S*H in

jw
friends

i've had an idea, a cruel and malicious idea.

want to hear it?

well, what i'm hoping is we can find someone who's thinking of leaving the jw's, has a relatively good standing in the congo and is a good actor.

TallTexan

My thoughts exactly. Richie has the stones to pull this one off, except I think he's on reproof.

So...who are the elders to mess with the Holy Spirit???

how about partaking and then 'speaking in tongues'?....

17

WTS view of Red Cross, etc

by blindersoff in

jw
friends

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/105666/1.ashx .

"this is probably the one organization you will see that will see this project to the end," farrow said.

(seems somewhat arrogant).

TallTexan

As Blondie (nice new avatar) said, do not think that one comment made 54 years ago can be said to be a representative view of the Red Cross. .. I am sure that if any reporter contacted Brooklyn today for a comment, he would receive something far more polite.

And your point is???? If you contact Crooklyn and ask if they harbor pedophiles, were a member of the UN, or know that 607/1914 is bogus, do you think you'll get an honest answer. As for the article being old, well, yes. However, just because they've become more 'polite' and 'positive' in their recent magazine does not mean that their overall feeling has changed. They just hide it much better. Remember, the ones in control now 'grew up' with the harsh views represented in the WT quote - do ya really think they've changed???

As for donations? I am sure that witnesses are not barred from donating money to them. It would be called a "personal matter" . Of course we know that charitable giving of all kinds is rather discouraged so that there is all the more for the good old Worldwide Work Fund. I suppose it is a competing charity..

Unless things have changed in the 6 years since I've been inactive, donating to the Red Cross is NOT a personal matter. Roll up on a group of elders and pioneers and say "Hey, I gave $500 to the Red Cross because they gave our brothers in Louisiana and Texas supplies" and see how well it works out for you....can someone give a definite answer on this? What is the WTS "present truth" on donating to the Red Cross? Blindersoff, thanks for the quote......

5

Beaumont Article

by TallTexan in

jw
friends

i read this on another post, but there are so many things wrong with this article.

beaumont - each weekend since october, danny farrow has driven about 90 miles to the golden triangle, where he lives in a trailer and feeds thousands of homemade meals to volunteers.

he could be golfing.

TallTexan

I read this on another post, but there are SO many things wrong with this article.

BEAUMONT - Each weekend since October, Danny Farrow has driven about 90 miles to the Golden Triangle, where he lives in a trailer and feeds thousands of homemade meals to volunteers.

He could be golfing. He could be fishing. (Uh, no...he'd be out in service, mowing the lawn at the hall, studying for his next meeting.)

Instead, he's feeding hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses who come to the area to rebuild hurricane-damaged homes. (A welcome break from the above mentioned activities.)

They arrive at the area Kingdom Halls from all over the state - and some from beyond its borders - to repair more than 850 homes that belong to their "brothers and sisters," other Jehovah's Witnesses. (They need to define 'brothers and sisters' - no one being shunned or inactive)

They will stay until the work here is done, about three to four months, J.C. Avila Beaumont hub coordinator at the North Major Drive site, said. And after that, some volunteers likely will help out in Louisiana, he said.

"This is probably the one organization you will see that will see this project to the end," Farrow said.

I agree - definitely arrogant. Hmmm....sounds like some Pharisees praying on the street corner to me....

Jehovah's Witnesses who can't drive to Southeast Texas donate money to help the cause, Avila said, which is used to buy supplies and food. Also, several nonprofit groups, like the Red Cross, have donated frozen and canned foods. Uh, please clarify. My understanding is that they are NOT allowed to donate money to a specific cause, rather they donate it for the worldwide PREACHING work, it goes to Brooklyn, and then is distributed. So this paragraph should read "They donate it to a few people in NY who, if they can spare a few bucks, send it this way." And WHY on earth would the Red Cross be willing to give them a dime?? And WHAT HYPOCRISY for them to accept it after years of villifying the Red Cross.

Since early October, the volunteers have completed more than 400 homes. About 260 homes remain in Beaumont and Orange, with another 150 in the northern counties, Avila said.

No one is paid. No one is forced to work. (Of course not. They can count time. I'd rather rebuild a few hundred homes any day and count time then knock on some doors. Although, I'd rather amputate any given body part with one of those little 'spork' things than go in service)

They volunteer their weekends because the Bible tells them to, Avila said. (No, the volunteer their weekend because they are told to preach every weekend by their 'handlers', but since they can do this instead, they do. Someone, ANYONE, show me in the Bible where it says "volunteer your weekends for the FDS").

The Bible instructs people to love each other, Avila said before quoting John 13:34-35:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (Wow....a Witness knows this scripture....guess this means you can know something and not have any practical use for it.)

Helping someone rebuild a home is the best way these men and women know how to show their love right now, they said. (And to get out of going in service.)

Jehovah's Witnesses also rebuilt homes damaged during Hurricane Allison in 2001 and Florida homes damaged in recent hurricanes. (Yes, I even helped in this a couple of weekends. My parents helped EVERY weekend for months.)

"I can't fix everything in the world," said Michael Perham, 47, of Rosenberg. "My little contribution is the best I can do."

Perham said he would like to help more people who are not Jehovah's Witnesses but added, "You gotta look after your family. You can't take care of everyone in the world." (LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE. They have NO interest at ALL in helping ANYONE who is not a JW, or studying. This just makes my blood boil. Just say "The Bible says do good especially to those in the faith, and you are not in our faith and we must stay seperate from the world. You may stumble me if I work along side someone other than another JW-bot.) Oh, he should also say that we will do this for our 'family', but if our blood relatives who were df'd needed help, we'd tell them - oh wait - we couldn't tell them anything because we can't talk to them.

Taking care of other Jehovah's Witnesses is a large enough task.

On Christmas weekend, close to 1,000 people volunteered, Avila said. On New Year's weekend, about 800 assisted. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate holidays. (Because the Society wants to make sure that EVERY extra dime goes to NY - not to buying some harmless presents for friends and family.)

So many volunteers and so many homes could become a logistical disaster. (But being part of a high-control group has it's advantages; knowing how to control a large group of people is one advantage.)

The volunteers obviously are experienced. They have set up stations - assessments, food service, administration, first aid, and trucking - to keep everything running smoothly.

Chris Alberga (I know this guy), 28, of Van Vleck in Matagorda County, began volunteering last month in the administration office. He makes sure the programs that chart people's names, phone numbers, addresses and problems are working. (Ahhhh...we've just received a glimpse inside the technology of Big Brother working inside the WBTS. How many OTHER names, addresses, phone numbers and PROBLEMS are on this database?)

At the first-aid station, volunteer nurses, paramedics and doctors take care of cuts, burns and other medical problems. (Why? Lost an arm - don't worry, the New Order is right around the corner. Shake it off and go put a few more shingles on that roof with your good arm.)

When workers were chopping trees off homes a couple of months ago, a few people hurt themselves with chain saws, said Perham, a paramedic. Those people were taken to the hospital for stitches, he said.

Now, most injuries are related to food service, he said. (Yeah - the 'loving' brothers jockeying for position in line. Remember the assemblies when they served food? Don't be in the hallway between the seats and the food section at 12:01)

Volunteer cooks wake at 3 a.m. to start breakfast. Meals must be packaged and taken to other volunteers in Orange, Silsbee and Port Arthur by 5:45 a.m., Farrow said.

On a recent Saturday, volunteers ate Italian sausage for lunch and gumbo for dinner. That was 160 gallons of gumbo - one batch with shrimp and crawfish, another without.

Cooksy work in two trailers equipped with two long grills, 12 low-boy burners, five convection ovens and one char grill.

Farrow won't let the men (the women don't cook) (WHAT????? I thought even in the JW world women were qualified to at least cook - what will they not be able to do next? Talk at the hall, have meeting parts??? ) talk while cooking because saliva could end up in the 20- or 25-gallon pots, making diners sick. (He probably ordered them silent because one of them said "Hey, I heard some rumor about the UN and the Society - anyone heard that?") Plus, all the crap they fed me for 30 years made me sicker than a little spit in some soup.....

Dennis Cantrell, 49, of Houston travels every weekend to rebuild homes.

Usually, dozens of people (as many as 50) work on one home, he said. It makes for a tight work space but gets a house done quickly, he said. (How many JW's does it take to change a light bulb? However many can count time doing it...)

People often have tears of thanks in their eyes, Cantrell said. But that's not why he does the work. He volunteers because it's what the Bible instructs him to do. (No, it's what the SLAVE instructs him to do.)

"We live our lives around our religion," Cantrell said. "Not our religion around our lives." (You know, there are so many things I could say here, but it's so easy, what would be the fun in it?)

Many volunteers want the work here to finish quickly so they can get back to door-to-door witnessing. (WHATEVER. <super eye roll>)

Evangelizing has fallen off since the storm because so many people are busy repairing homes, volunteers said. (This paragraph should read "Evangelizing has fallen off since the advent of the Internet, JWD, freeminds.org, silentlambs.)

I agree with Blindersoff and some others....we need to blitz the Red Cross en masse, and respond to the writer of this article with the 'truth' about the 'love' and how conditional it is and about how much of a crock this article is.....

29

Church members come from far and wide to repair hundreds of houses

by Country Girl in

jw
friends

church members come from far and .

wide to repair hundreds of houses .

by: jamie reid, the enterprise 01/13/2006 .

TallTexan

HOW DO WE GET THIS TO FOX NEWS?

Yeah, wouldn't Bill O'Reilly love something like this??

51

Circuit Overseer Celebrities?

by Delboy222 in

jw
friends

i am a active jw, but one question i would like to know is why do these 'men' get treated as superstar celebrities when they attend the congregation?.

for as long as i can remember, there seems to be a 'buzz of excitement' when it is announced that he and his wife are due to visit.

what is so special about them?.

TallTexan

Here's my take. And I will admit, I knew some very kind, loving CO's, but as another poster shared, this was back in the 70's/80's. I've also known some very gruff, "Your congregation sucks" kinda guys. Everyone made sure they were first on the list for dinner, lunch, breakfast, midmorning snack - whatever could get the 'blessing of Jehovah' on your house by feeding the guy.

Here's why I think people became so excited. You spend all year hearing from the local elders, MS, etc the SAME OLD MESSAGE, same talk styles, etc. Honestly, we all know that many local brothers are poor speakers who can't put together a coherent meeting part to save their life. Now, the CO comes to town. Usually (not always) they were very good speakers and you always felt that, even though it was the same message, it had some sort of authority, because this guy was one step removed from the GB. This was the GB's representative to you. This is the guy who validated everything you did during the 6 months between his visits, because he came from the top and assured you that the work was progressing, that Jehovah was happy. That's why if he hammered your congregation, then the elders took it out on the publishers because the CO's disapproval was like Jehovah telling you that you had been naughty becuase your cong average was only 9.8 hours instead of 10.1 like the last cong he was in.

I don't know. Plus the average JW life is so boring that ANY reason to get excited is a good one.....

39

Are you paranoid about posting?

by wombat in

poor jwfacts got sprung when the jw trawlers were able to join the dots.. no, that's wrong - they knew it was him but it took something else for them to be able to prove it.. i am not game to post a bio about myself.

my jw siblings are very litigious.

one even sued another jw for libel.

TallTexan

I could care less if they found out about me - I'd be posting my name, address, phone number, email address, shoe size (12). My only concern is that certain members of my family are going through some tough times w/ the org and out of love and respect for them I don't want to inflict any collateral damage on them. Otherwise, I'd be naming names, dates, places of all the 'brothers' who have ever caused me problems.....

24

Did you know of any JW elders or JW pioneers that were "racist"?

by booker-t in

i know this might sound like a question from "la-la" land but as a black ex-jws most of the white jw's that i did have contact with were really nice.

i was talking to a hispanic ex-jws the other day and he was telling me of some of the racist experiences he had as a jw.

i did not contradict him but i never experienced racism from caucasian jw's.

TallTexan

I spent a few years as well on the Texas-Mexico border. The relationship between the "English" and "Spanish" congregations is curious. Both groups tend to do their own thing, despite worshipping the same god.

Interesting. Not to argue with you by any means, but I grew up in South Texas also and don't have quite the same viewpoint. The area I lived in had a number of small towns with usually just one English and in some, one Spanish congregation. As a rule, the Spanish cong's were much warmer and more loving than the English, and in most cases, they mixed quite well. I remember playing softball routinely in one town and there were bros/sis from both cong's playing and they knew each other well. I guess because of this there were a large number of interracial marriages between Hispanic and whites with no interference or really even a second thought from the elders or anyone else in the cong.

I know of a cong in north Texas that I went to with a friend of mine and I was surprised because all the blacks sat in the back of the hall and the whites in the front. I asked him about it and he said it was weird when he first moved there, but that it had become 'normal' after a while.

An elderly sister that used to ride to the meetings w/ us used the 'n' word all the time, but it seemed to be a substitute for using the word 'black'. Like she would say "The 'n' - man across the street came over to help me with my truck today." It wasn't like she was trying to be offensive or had anything against black folks, but I guess she just grew up in a time when it was accepted to say things like that.

I guess overall I don't believe that the Witnesses as a whole are racist. I witnessed very few incidents of racial problems during my time in the 'truth'.

23

5 minute guide to knowing if Jehovah's Witnesses have the truth

by jwfacts in

i have just posted a new article at http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/5min.htm that is copied below.

can you please check it and make any suggestions?

a few bits may not make total sense as they are links to other pages in the website.

TallTexan

Dude, that's awesome work.

We're not worthy, we're not worthy.....lol.